1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of liquid strainers such as paint and the like, and more particularly to a novel strainer for paint which includes a retaining means for holding a strainer bag in position over a collection container.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to strain paint flowing from a can into a collection pail or bucket so that the paint is clean and free from foreign debris, dirt, dried paint or the like. In this practice, a user may normally use a screen, filter paper or a small mesh fabric. Although such items are useful in straining paint, it is difficult to hold the filter in position during the straining procedure and removal of the filter is generally cumbersome, messy and is difficult to dispose of. Furthermore, most modern straining means for this purpose fail to incorporate means for accommodating a sprayer and hose so that the cleansed paint can be removed from the container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,591 discloses a paint strainer which may incorporate a spraying device but which does not adequately hold the strainer filter in position during the straining procedure. The strainer filter may not come into contact with the strained paint as the level of the strained paint increases in the collection bucket or pail so that the filter will dry out.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a multi-piece means for mounting and releasably retaining a paint filter or bag in position so that paint may be poured through the filter material or bag into a collection retainer whereby the filter or bag is supported on an intermediate member disposed between a filter or bag clamping piece and the upper edge of the pail or bucket.